ASIO knew all about Zygier: report

Australia has reportedly made no requests for information about the Ben Zygier case since news broke this week that the Melbourne man had died in secret in an Israel prison in 2010.

A senior Israeli official has reportedly told News Limited that Canberra was unlikely to request details from Israel about why the suspected Mossad agent was jailed because the Gillard government already had detailed information about the case.

"Every day that goes by you see how deeply involved they were," the official was quoted as saying.

"They interrogated him, they suspected him, they knew many things."

Reports have emerged this week that the 34-year-old was being investigated by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) in relation to suspected passport fraud.

On Friday, Fairfax Media reported that shortly before Mr Zygier was arrested he may have been planning to divulge information, either to media or to Australian authorities, about how he used his dual citizenship to spy for Israel.

It also emerged this week that Australian officials knew about the detention of the father-of-two shortly after his 2010 arrest, but it's unclear whether they told then-foreign minister Stephen Smith.

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) head Peter Varghese gave Foreign Minister Bob Carr an interim report detailing who knew what about the mysterious case that has rocked the Australian and Israeli governments.

However Senator Carr ordered a review of the case after the department apparently gave him conflicting advice about who knew what.

This material is subject to copyright and any unauthorised use, copying or mirroring is prohibited.